Thank You For Being a Friend
by Fleet Sparrow
Summary: A walk in the rain led to an unlikely friendship between two of the most opposite of characters. Or are they? Inspired by the song Thank You For Being a Friend.
1. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Hello, y'all. This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. It originally started as a Seto/Katsuya love-ship, but, after hearing the song "Thank You For Being a Friend", I decided to change all that. I've written about six chapters so far, but I'm hesitant to update without reviews, so, be kind (and, trust me, I know that I'll read a continuing saga, absolutely love it, and then never review, so I won't hate you non-reviewers. I'm one of you.), and, please remember the rule we're all taught as children: if you don't have something nice to say, keep it to yourself, dammit!! Or, something like that.

Disclaimer: If I owned anything except the storyline, I wouldn't be here. Trust me.

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**Chapter One—Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head**

Seto Kaiba walked down the street one late Friday night in the pouring rain. The young CEO tried to recall exactly why he was traveling through the streets of Domino being pummeled by a torrential downpour. He thought it had something to do with Mokuba saying how _clear_ the day was, how it would never _dare_ rain on such a beautiful day, and how Seto's chauffeur left early because his wife had just had a baby (the latter of reasons was mumbled rapidly and took Seto about half a minute to differentiate the words). Sometimes he wished he did not give in to his little brother so easily when he told him to walk and get fresh air. Not like he could _really_ say "no" to those eyes. Sighing, he contented himself to walking in the rain, hoping to make it back to his mansion before he caught pneumonia.

Suddenly, he heard sounds of yelling and fighting and a young man was thrown out of an alleyway into an overflowed gutter. A couple of older men (drunk, by all appearances) threw their empty beer bottles at him and hobbled off back down the alley. Seto walked over to the figure and would have kept walking except for the shock of blond hair and recognizable features of the man in the gutter. He bent down and rolled him over. "Jounouchi?" The blond groaned and shifted in Seto's arms. "Well, I can't leave you here to drown. Mokuba wouldn't let me hear the end of it." With that, he hoisted Katsuya into his arms and carried him back to the mansion.


	2. How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

**Chapter Two—How Much Is That Doggie In The Window**

Mokuba Kaiba looked out of one of the upstair's windows and sighed down at the gloomy landscape. Somewhere out there was Seto. Probably a very cold, very wet, and very irritated Seto. That was not a pleasant thought. He sighed again and saw a figure run through the gate and across the yard. He could not see if it was Seto, but, whoever it was, the person was carrying something in his arms. Or someone.

Mokuba rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time and then sliding down the railing and landing with a thud on the hard wood of the floors. He reached the front door and flung it open, winded. In front of him stood a very cold, very wet, and very irritated Seto, carrying a very unconscious Katsuya in his arms. "Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked, with a puzzled expression. Seto did not reply directly, but instead walked inside. "Tell the maids to start a fire and bring down some towels and warm clothes. And something hot from the kitchen. Preferably coffee." He looked for somewhere to set Katsuya and spotted the couch. He hesitated for a minute, not really wanting to get it soaking wet, but realizing that there was no other place for him, and set the Mutt down. Sighing softly, Seto started up the stairs as Mokuba ran to follow Seto's orders. He shivered and headed off to the bathroom to dry and change into some warmer clothes. Maybe a parka.

_This is going to be an interesting weekend,_ Seto thought. _Very interesting._


	3. Black Coffee

Hello again, y'all! Sorry about the long lapse in update, but there was school, summer, lazy procrastination, you know the schtick. So, here's chapter three. Again, I own nothing but the plot. At least, I hope I own the plot. I'm pretty sure I do...Well, anyway, I own the plot, so there!! If anyone reads this anyways, I'd like to add a little note: I had written (on paper) nine chapters before the end of my school year. So, if anyone reviews and says "Hey! You took that from another story", I will tell you that, no, I did not. Anyway, also, this story was not intended to be yaoi or anything. I had toyed with the idea, but realised that because so many of these pairings exist, very few seem to believe that the two can just be friends. Anyway, here's the chapter...belated, but here.

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**Chapter Three–Black Coffee**

When Seto came back down stairs, he saw that the servants had already dried and changed Katsuya into some warmer, dryer clothes. He was now propped against the arm of the couch, wrapped in a blanket, still asleep. His bruises had been tended to and there was a small ice pack set against the lump on the side of his head. Mokuba was half-sitting on the couch, looking in Katsuya's direction, but clearing not seeing him. He turned idly towards the stairs and jumped when he saw Seto at the bottom.

"Nii-sama," he said, running up to his brother with a cup of coffee. "Here you go. Fresh, hot coffee." His hands brushed Seto's as he passed him the cup. "And it's a good thing, too. You're freezing!! Come on. Sit down and warm up."

Mokuba led his brother to a large easy chair and nearly pushed him into it. Seto's teeth chattered slightly as he loosened his jaw for a drink. The coffee felt scalding against his throat, but, since it was the warmest thing he had felt in hours, he was not going to complain. After all of this, he was sure he would have some illness over the weekend. Not that it would stop him from working, or anything. Almost immediately after he had finished half of the cup, and set it down on a side table, Mokuba began talking.

"What were you doing out there? What happened, Nii-sama? What happened to Jounouchi? Why didn't you call for a car? I'm sorry I told you today was going to be a nice day. I'm sorry I told you to not take a car. I'm sorry you got so wet. I'm sorry–-"

Seto put the tips of his fingers to Mokuba's lips. "Shhhhhh," he said. "Not quite so loud. I'm getting a migraine." Mokuba nodded as Seto began to explain what had happened as much as he knew it. Of course, as people who have been walking, drenched, in pouring rain are wont to do, some of the details were slightly over-exaggerated, but, nonetheless, his recount was fit to every detail.

"But Seto," Mokuba began, once his brother had finished, "I still don't understand why?"

"Why what, Mokie?"

"Why did you bring Jou here? You don't even _like_ him."

"Well," Seto replied, tensing ever-so-slightly, a wry smile touching his lips, "I couldn't just let my mutt drown, could I?"

And, as though in response to hearing his name, Katsuya woke up.


	4. It's Alive! It's ALIVE!

Wow. Two chapters in one night. That is almost as big an accomplishment for me as finishing that Monster Sudoku after three months. (Don't ask about the sudoku...shudders) Anyway, chapter four is here. I don't own the charries, the world, yada yada yada... One thing I would like to note, though, is an apology. I apologise for the odd writing and short chapters. I'm trying out a new style (well, I was, but then I typed it and it became...revised.) and all of my chapters are only one written page long, so when typed up, they become very short indeed. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that in. Enjoy!! Hopefully...

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**Chapter Four–It's Alive! It's ALIVE!!!!**

Katsuya Jounouchi stirred and murmured in his fitful sleep. He remembered coming home to his dad and his dad's...friends, if they could really be called that, all drunk yet again. They were arguing about something until Katsuya tripped over a lamp he was _sure_ was not on the floor earlier; then, it became a whole different story. There was something yelled about useless, deadbeat children and lazy, ungrateful sons before the fight broke out. Katsuya had learned long ago the best ways to defend himself, but he had never counted on some of his dad's bigger friends being out of the when the fight started. By the time they came out, he was swinging, but barely standing. The last thing he saw was a large bottle swinging on his left.

The world around him after that was nothing more than muffled sounds and half-feelings. He thought he felt water (was he thrown in an ocean?) and someone speaking over him (a man or a woman?) and, finally, a warm, calm, soft place (one of those gingerbread-fairytale castles?). Now, the visual aspects of the half-thoughts began to return and all sorts of senses came rushing back to tell him of all the wonderful, and not-so-wonderful, things he had missed while he was out. Groaning, he looked around the unfamiliar surroundings for something he knew to get his bearings. Unfortunately, that something turned out to be a someone. Someone he knew all to well. Someone he did not want to see first thing waking up.

"What the–the hell'm I doin' here?" he shouted, his voice level rising at each question. "The hell am I? And what the hell are _you_ doing here???"

Across the table, Seto winced slightly. "Please, mutt, not so loud," he said, holding a finger in front of his lips to say 'silence'. He sighed, took a drink and began, "I found you near drowning in an overflown gutter, assumed you had no intention of killing yourself, and brought you back here to _my_ mansion." He laid a subtle accent on the word, if only to further explain that he, Katsuya, was the stranger here.

Katsuya stared at him for a few moments, mouth slightly agape, trying to process all of the information, before repeating a phrase that seemed to have become phrase du jour. "Wait...You don't even _like_ me...Why?"


	5. The Million Dollar Question

I'm on a roll. Three chapters. This might be it for tonight. My back's about ready to kill me. This is probably my longest chapter for...any fic I've written. At least, this one took the most out of me. When I first wrote it down, it nearly killed me in biology. I just could not stop writing the bugger thing. And then...well, I tried typing it up and realised it made no sense as it stood. So, I edited to add more dialouge. Oy vey... So, the order of the speaking (italics) is, for each line of it (Katsuya is K, Seto is S): K, S, S, K, S, K, S. It makes sense to me, but it ought to. I wrote the bloody thing...Hope it makes sense for you. Please review, I own nothing, and all that jazz.**

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**Chapter Five–The Million-Dollar Question**

"_Why?"_

The question hung in the air like a noose on the gallows, awaiting its next pathetic victim.

"_What do you mean, 'why'?"_

And that victim was going to be Seto Kaiba.

"_I told you why."_

The answer he had given his little brother, and even the one he had given to the mutt was only his automatic answer. His defense-mechanism kicking in. His wall of the stone fortress.

"_No you didn't! You told me why, but you didn't tell me why?"_

But, was it the truth?

"_What?"_

Even the reason, the excuse, he had told himself when he found Katsuya in the gutter was probably only a way to tell himself he was a Kaiba.

"_You told me you did it to stop me from drowning. But, why bring me here? Why not just leave me out of the way?"_

A cruel, cold-hearted, soulless Kaiba, and nothing more.

"_..."_

But, when asked by the subject, the reason for the question's existence, he found he could not answer. Because there was no answer.

Well, no answer that quickly and effortlessly sprang to mind. This problem was the most complicated of the Calculus course and the solution was not lazing in the back of the book waiting to be checked. Scratch that. Calculus he could deal with. This, he would have to struggle through on his own. And quickly, because an answer was expected soon.

He stood up, subconsciously reverting to an old trick Gozaburo had ingrained into his mind when preparing him for Kaiba Corp.: when you do not like the question, or do not know the answer, stand, look superior, and leave the room.

Seto walked to the stairs and started up despite Mokuba's calling and Katsuya's stares. When he reached the door to the library at the top of the stairs, he turned and leaned over the railing, addressing Katsuya:

"Because I could."


	6. Please, Mr Postman

So the ending is cliche. So sue me. Well, don't sue me. It's only chapter six. Again, disclaimer: blah blah card games blah, blah blah attack mode blah, blah blah blah, blah! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or anything else for that matter. So there. Please review. It makes my muse feel loved, and she needs all the love she can get.**

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**Chapter Six–Please, Mr. Postman**

Katsuya watched as Kaiba disappeared into the library. He had not thought he had put him into _that_ tight of a spot for him not to even answer him. He turned to Mokuba. "Ok. So what the hell did _that_ mean?"

Mokuba sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. He gets like that." Changing quickly into a happier mood, he stood up and bounded over to the couch. "How are you feeling now?"

"I've got a hell of a headache," Katsuya moaned, sitting up and tossing off the blankets. He felt like a pressure-cooker under all of them. However, the sudden movement was not good for the pain and it let him know of that in no uncertain terms. He grabbed the ice pack and put it to his head, groaning.

"Seto says you probably have a concussion," Mokuba said matter-of-factly. "I can get you something for your headache. Unless you just want to sleep it off."

"Thanks, but I think I'll just----" Katsuya gasped as he made the unfortunate mistake of shaking his head. "Yeah. Maybe I will have something."

Mokuba pressed a button on the coffee table he was sitting on. "Could I get some soup and a headache pill for Jounouchi?" Mokuba did not wait for a response before he turned back to Katsuya. Mokuba poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Katsuya as a maid came in with a mug of soup. She set it on the table and bowed as Mokuba dismissed her. Katsuya noticed, as he drank the soup, that Mokuba chewed on his bottom lip as the maid left, as though he were waiting to say something.

As soon as the maid was out of the room, Mokuba blurted out "Please stay the whole weekend! I know Seto only wants to see that you won't die on the spot before sending you home, but _please_?? You're the best thing that could've happened to us, especially now!!"


	7. Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Well, it's been a long time since I updated this story. Let's just see how long. It's been...OVER A YEAR! WH00T!!! wait...that was probably a bad thing, huh? Darn....

So, it took me a year to update this, but about 24 hours to post two new stories and do this chapter. Yay for procrastination and regained inspiration!!!

**Disclaimer: **The same thing as the other chapters, folks.

And, just a quick note, though I should have put this at the top because, by now, most of you have stopped reading this and this is the most important note: Mokuba's speech. Once he starts talkin', he speeds up, hence why the third paragraph becomes one giant run-on. I try to write dialogue the way people actually talk, so I hope that comes through.

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**Chapter Seven–Do You Want to Know a Secret?**

Mokuba felt suddenly guilty about his outburst (knowing full well that Seto would not be at _all_ pleased), but it was true. Katsuya's arrival could not have come at a better time. He glanced up at the library door and the staircase, but it remained shut and the staircase remained empty. Better Seto not know. At least, not yet.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself. He found that it was much harder to tell someone the whole story than to just give them the teaser-trailer of mystery. But, he _had_ given it, and had, therefore, left himself no other option. He had to continue.

Glancing up at the door again, Mokuba cleared his throat and began. "I'm worried about Seto," he said, looking Katsuya straight in the eyes (something which made Katsuya slightly uneasy; the kid was damn unnerving at times!). "He's not doing very well. He's become more of an introvert than he used to be. He works late every night, and the company takes so much out of him, not to mention so much _time_, so I don't even _know_ when he gets his homework done, but he's _always_ focusing on his deck, or the company, or his latest invention, which he hasn't even told _me_ about (which is irritating), but he's _so_ busy, he hardly eats, at least, he doesn't when I see him (which is becoming rare), and I don't think he sleeps much, 'cause his light is _always_ on, and I–"

"Whoa, whoa, hold it," Katsuya interrupted, holding out his hands in front of him. "Slow down. I don't think I caught a word of that. Remember, I'm workin' slow here, so bear with me, huh?"

Mokuba inhaled deeply. "Sorry," he replied. "I'm just worried about him."

"I get that, but you want me to follow this conversation, right?" Katsuya smiled.

Mokuba flashed a half-hearted smile. "Sorry. I'll go slower." He checked the doorway and stairs with a more careless glance before taking a deep breath and exhaled, a little calmer than before. "I just want him to have friends. I want him to be friends with you guys, but I don't know if he'll try. No, I _know_ he won't try to be friends with you, but he does want to be your friend."

"Really?" Katsuya asked. "'Cause it kinda doesn't seem like it."

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but my brother's not exactly the kind that will jump in glee and throw himself into a relationship," Mokuba replied dryly. "Any relationship. And, besides, his greatest rival is your best friend. So, he's not that eager. Anyway, I just think that maybe if you stay the weekend, you guys can become friends and then he'll calm down. 'Cause, as it is, he's stressed to the breaking point. He's already had a couple of mental breakdowns."

"He's _what_?!" Katsuya exclaimed.

"Well," Mokuba said, lowering his voice, not bothering to check on his brother's whereabouts, "he's had these before. Sometimes, when he's really stressed, he'll end up locking himself in his room and start yelling in different languages and sobbing. At least, I think it's sobbing. I don't know. I stay far away from him when he gets like that. And then afterwards, he sleeps for _hours_ on end and is really apathetic. I call those his blue funks, and those he gets a lot, so I can deal with them. But the stress _really_ gets to him, and I just think that, maybe if he has friends he can talk to, he won't get them so much."

"Or maybe I'll just have more of them because I'll then have the added stress of dealing with my new friends' personal problems," a silky voice said from the doorway.

Mokuba whipped around, met his brother's eyes, and cringed. He _knew_ he should have been checking the doorway more carefully.

So much for "Plan A: The Great Scheme for Finding Seto Kaiba Friends."

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Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? Er...wasn't it? Let me know! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading.


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